With much of the state’s water supply originating in the mountains as precipitation on the forested landscape, the health and management of the upper watersheds are critically important to California’s water quality and water supply. At the August meeting of the California Water Commission, George Gentry with the California Board of Forestry and Fire Protection, and Dr. Martha Conklin and Dr. Roger Bales from UC Merced discussed the relationships between forests and water. Click here for full article.

“Whether we like it or not, our world is changing,” said Mark Cowin, director of the Department of Water Resources, who was in Chico Friday for the annual meeting of Northern California Water Association. Click here for full article.

By Maria Finn, onEarth Magazine: In an unexpected twist to California’s drought saga, it turns out that beavers, once reviled as a nuisance, could help ease the water woes that sometimes pit the state’s environmentalists and fishermen against its farmers. Click here to view article.

This report describes Proposition 1, reviews the Governor’s proposals to implement the bond, identifies key implementation principals, and recommends steps for the Legislature to ensure that the bond is implemented effectively.